Doha: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed growing concerns that Washington's expanding strategic ties with Pakistan are meant to sideline India, noting that the relationship with Islamabad would not undermine the US' "deep, historic, and important" partnership with New Delhi.

The US State Secretary, while addressing the press en route to Doha, Qatar, on Saturday, asserted that New Delhi understands the necessity of engaging multiple nations in a mature diplomatic framework.

"I don't think anything we're doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important," Rubio told reporters when asked about India's apprehensions over the recent surge in the US-Pakistan relationship.

Acknowledging India's concerns,

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